F3: A Snowmageddon Snowicane

Ahhhhhhh! It's coming!! It's a furiously foreboding Fresh Forkin' Friday as we await the onslaught from the Winter Worlock. Do you know what this means? Thousands upon millions of you are cancelling your dinner reservations for the next two nights. It's not so much the snow that kills restos this time of year; it's the forecasters. They lay the fear down early, and everyone hunkers down in anticipation. In those instances where we miss the predicted 12" for a scant 2" of precip, most people are still on their couches, resigned to a night in. That sucks for the industry. I'm not advocating risking life and limb for a nice No. 9 roll, but I do think you should hold fast to your Nordic pride and sally forth if sallying forth is possible. I have a holiday breakfast gathering scheduled for Saturday morning, and ladies if you punk out, I will mock you openly (except for the pregger coming from Hugo). You all have 4WD and you know it. If you live within trudging distance of a resto, maybe you should suit up this weekend and make a trek to help fill the coffers of those who are just waiting to serve you.

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FRESH N' NEW

I had written a reveiw for Purple Sandpiper, but literally pulled it from the mag in production when I heard that Ryan Aberle had left. I knew the place would be much different, because it wasn't really working as it was. Enter a new chef (Chris Johaningsmeir, most recently at Lucia's) and a new menu. Some of the past favorites are still there, but it seems to have a fresher approach while maintaining its cheffy sensibility (cassoulet is the dish of the moment, is it not?). Also significant is the change in service; they've done away with the cooks-as-servers model and hired a real service staff. Time for another look.

OPENS

Buffalo Wild Wings (or B-Dubs! to all the boys in my son's car) is opening in the old Station 19 on the U of M campus. This is genius. It is going to make a boatload of money there. To celebrate its crafty realization, the locally based wing kings are offering Free Wings For a Year (52 vouchers for 6 free wings) for the first 100 people at its 10 a.m. opening on Monday.

North Washington Cafe is opening in the North Loop on Saturday. It looks to have easy breakfast items, Salty Tart treats, plus deli/panini sandwiches, and soups.

It's last call for Palomino, so get in there for Saturday night's farewell event starting at 8:30 p.m. And try not to steal anything, such as that big pink Chihuly glass thingy.

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If you're thinking about going to Ikea (to get all the necessary Scando implements for hunkering down) go today! It's the annual Julbord Buffet, and for $9.99 ($2.49 for kids) you can sample holiday ham, roast beef, smoked salmon, meatballs with lingonberries (natch), crisp bread, and assorted cheeses. And yes, it's all you can eat, from 5-8:30 p.m.

If you're looking for a reason to drive through the snowy landscape of our winter wonderland, why not head down to Shepherd's Way Farm for a little cheese open house. On Sunday , from 12-5 p.m., the farm will be open for cheese and sausage sampling, tours, hot cider sipping, bonfire enjoying, and gift box buying. If you can't make it down, you can always sample the award winning sheep's milk cheese at the Birchwood on Tuesday from 5-7 p.m. or Lucia's on Thursday from 3-6 p.m.

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Food and Dining editor Stephanie March writes and edits Mpls.St.Paul Magazine’s Eat + Drink section. She can also be heard Saturdays on her myTalk107.1 radio show, Weekly Dish, where she talks about the Twin Cities food scene.